Iam Tongi basks in the feedback after his performance of Lava Sunday night on American Idol. (ABC Photo)
Iam Tongi admits he wasn’t exactly thrilled when he learned his mother had signed him up for an American Idol Season 21 audition.
“I had a bad mood about it,” he admits in an interview with The Coconet TV.
After all, he’d auditioned virtually for the show previously and wasn’t selected for an audition.
He recalls telling his mom, “I’m not going to make it.”
Iam was wrong of course. Boy, was he wrong.
He not only made it, but his audition of “Monsters” — dedicated to his late father Rodney — brought Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan to tears.
It’s also been viewed more than 16 million times on YouTube, far more than any other Season 21 audition.
That’s one of the reasons Iam enters Sunday’s Season 21 finale as the favorite to walk away with the title of American Idol.
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Eight of his other American Idol performances have been viewed at least 1 million times on YouTube. Colin Stough and Megan Danielle haven’t reached that mark once since the audition round.
And when the Top 3 released singles at midnight Friday, it was Iam’s that rocketed up the charts, landing at number one on the Apple Music rock singles chart and cracking the Top 10 on the site’s overall singles chart.
Here’s a look back at Iam’s American Idol performances.
Audition — “Monsters”
Hollywood Week — “I Can’t Make You Love Me”
Hollywood Duet — “Save Your Tears”
Showstoppers — “Sounds of Silence”
Top 26 — “Don’t Let Go”
Top 20 — “The Winner Takes It All”
Top 12 reveal — “Stuck on You”
Top 12 — “Bring It On Home to Me”
Top 10 — “What a Wonderful World”
Top 8 duet with Oliver Steele — “Photograph”
Top 8 solo — “Guardian”
Top 5 — “Lava”
Top 5 — “Father and Son”
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